Moving On
by SweetlySinisterScribbler
Summary: Noah has realized that Ed will not return her feelings and is upset. What happens when one of Winry's male friends comes to visit and gains an attraction to Noah? What happens when Winry decides to try and set them up? One-Shot. Finale of the Reality Series.


**Hey Guys! So, I wasn't originally planning to do any sequels to "Irreplaceable", but after writing "Home Is Where the Heart Is" I decided to make this a three part series. While I love how I left Edward and Winry, I'm not too happy leaving Noah where she is. Thinking about that, this finale was born. **

"**The Fullmetal Alchemist and the Fullmetal Mechanic" is not a part of this series, it is just an EdWin one-shot. I thought about including it, but it doesn't belong in the series. **

**I did add a good bit more dialogue in this story, but I felt it was necessary to get Noah's view across more clearly. I also did less "blonde girl" and "elder boy" in this one. At this point in the story, I felt that the characters had grown and gotten close enough to each other to use their names. This was very much a stylistic choice of mine and one I thought fit in perfectly here. **

**I would like to give a shout-out to **Rookblonkorules **for showing this story some support early on in its development. This is also a big thank you for supporting so many of my stories by reviewing them. Thank you for everything!**

**I did delete the polls from the story page as I was informed that I was breaking some rules and guidelines. The poll for FMA will be available through my profile until the 7th of this month and the one for FairyTail will be available from the 8th-9th. **

**With that all said, Let's get onto the story!**

Third Person POV

She was happy for them, they both deserved the lives they got. The elder brother with the blonde mechanic and the younger one with the small girl with a panda for a pet. While she didn't know everything about their past, she knew enough to understand that this life was definitely earned by them. But she couldn't stop thinking, _What about me?_ She knew that her chances with the older brother were gone and she was okay with that, but now she was alone. She hated that. Edward was still quite secretive about Winry around her too. She also hated that. So one could imagine the shock Noah felt that first night in the house when the blonde knocked on her door.

Yes, she had stayed in Winry's house for the night, but she had planned to leave before the sun rose. _Did the blonde know this? Did she come to kick Noah out? What if Al had told the blonde about Noah's crush on the elder alchemist?_ These were the thoughts running through her mind as she stared at Winry standing in the hallway. She could tell why Edward fell for the mechanic. Seeing her in the hallway wearing only on oversized nightshirt with her hair down, no oil in sight, allowed Noah to see the womanly figure the girl had. The bright blue eyes that reminded her of the sky on a cloudless day could possibly have a man on his knees in seconds. _Is Al sure that Ed isn't all that into looks?_ The brown haired girl thought in her head.

"Can I come in?" the young girl said with a shy smile, drawing her out of her mind for a moment. "I just wanna talk, I promise. I don't bit."

Noah opened the door for her, quickly shutting it behind the blonde. She waited for Winry to say something, anything really. Her heart started to beat faster and faster as the blonde just took in the guest room, as if remembering something about it.

"How can I help you?" Noah asked, more nervous now than she had been before going through the portal.

"I don't think we were able to properly introduce ourselves. My name is Winry, Winry Rockbell." The girl said while holding out a hand for a handshake.

"I'm Noah. I'm sorry about that. In the other world neither of the boys mentioned you and when we came to this one, it seemed like one of them was always diverting us away from each other." she said taking the blonde girls' hand.

"Yeah. They can be quite protective over me whether the time calls for it or not, but I'm glad to have them around. They are the best friends a girl could have."

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Noah asked curiously.

"No. I wanted to ask why you seems so upset at dinner. I also wanted to ask where you got those earrings from"

Frozen. The only word that could describe Noah at that moment was frozen. How could she explain that she snooped and took the earrings? Or how she had been crushing on this girl's guy for about three years now?

"Um…" she couldn't form a sentence.

Winry had started laughing at that moment, but Noah could tell that it wasn't at her. "I know you took the earrings and its okay. I recognized them at them at the table and I know Edward wouldn't give them away. They look good on you, you should keep them. I also know you had a crush on Ed."

"How did you know?" asked Noah.

"I've been crushing on him since I was five and I think you know why after living with him for three years. I know the way a girl looks a guy when she's crushing and you had that look at the table."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do anything! Honest! When we came to this world and I saw you two together I let it go. I was planning to leave tomorrow anyways, so if you're mad then I would suggest getting it out now." Noah said spastically, like the words couldn't leave her mouth fast enough.

"It's okay. He wasn't in a relationship at the time, so you had full right to gain a crush on him. I'm not mad at you. I was hoping you would stay for a couple days."

"You're not mad at me for everything and you want me to stay here with you for a few days? Why?" Noah said, shocked at the revelation that had occurred.

"I'm not going to blame you for something that's completely natural. As for you staying here, I have a customer coming in tomorrow that I would like for you to meet. Alphonse has told me a little bit about you and I think you and Dave will get along. I'm not trying to set you up on a date or anything, just trying to help you get a little more comfortable in this world."

"Edward and Alphonse are okay with me staying here in their house?"

"Well, it's my house so they don't really have a say in it. They might bitch and moan, but one mention of my wrench and it'll shut them up quickly" Winry said with an open smile. "Think about it. Whether you come down for breakfast or not tomorrow will be an answer. Do what you need to for yourself. Don't do it if you don't want to."

With that, the blonde left for the night. Noah had been wrong to judge her before meeting her. That night Noah unpacked her bags into the drawers and climbed into bed, feeling more hopeful than she had in a while.

The next morning, she had gone down to breakfast to spot only the blonde. Not a boy in sight.

"Good morning" she said cautiously, making the blonde turn and smile at her.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Better than I have in a long time. Do you need any help with breakfast?"

"No, I've got it. Do you want some coffee or anything to drink?" the blonde asked while putting some pancakes on a plate.

"Coffee please. I don't care how it comes"

The blonde finished putting the last pancake on the plate before going to the coffee maker. Quickly pouring a glass for Noah and making some tea for herself, she brought the drinks to the table, returning only to grab the food and syrup.

"Your house is beautiful. How did you afford it?" Noah asked.

"My grandmother used to own it, but when she retired from making prosthetics she decided to move in with an old friend. Said she wanted to live without her family for a bit of her life. She signed it over to me and it's been mine since."

Grandmother? "Are you talking about the older lady I saw here the day we arrived? Short, gray hair in a ponytail with some glasses."

The blonde nodded. "She came to visit me for a couple days. She knows that when the boys go away that it can be hard on me and just wanted to check up on me." Looking at the time, Winry rose from her seat. "Dave will be here in an hour. I need to go get changed into my work clothes and then prep the workshop. I will see you in a bit"

Before the blonde could leave, Noah said, "Do I need to change for this?"

"You can wear whatever you want as long as you're okay with oil getting on it".

While the blonde changed and prepped for Dave, Noah finished eating and went to change. She was enjoying the relaxed pace around the house. When she came down from changing, she found the boys in the kitchen.

"Morning guys" she said and earned a slow wave from them. Alphonse being tired and Edward shoveling food in his mouth like it would disappear.

"Why did you never tell me how nice Winry is Al? She's very kind and thoughtful."

A fork dropped. All noise stopped. Hell, it felt like the Earth halted all movement.

"You were alone with Winry?" Edward said.

"She came to the guest room last night and wished to talk. So we talked."

"What did you talk about?" Al said trying to cut the tension by asking happily.

"You two. Me. Her. Nothing too detailed or long. She asked me to stay a few days and to meet her customer coming today. Said she wanted to help me get comfortable here and maybe make another friend or two".

Edward stood up and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Noah and Al alone until the doorbell rang. Alphonse quickly answered it before leading the man to the workshop. Noah followed them until Alphonse stopped outside the door.

He leaned over and whispered, "Could you go in and check with them before I let him in? I don't want to interrupt anything".

Noah knocked and heard someone say to come in. Opening the door, she the patients chair in the middle of the room while everything else was covered in bolts, screws, papers and who knows what else. Then she saw them. Standing by the chair, Edward had his arms around Winry's waist while she had hers splayed against his chest. Ed nodded once before heading over to Noah.

"I'm sorry about earlier" he said, "I'm just very protective over my girl and the thought of her being alone with anyone other than me or my brother scares me".

Noah nodded her thanks before heading over to the blonde mechanic who pointed her to sit in a chair. Dave came in minutes later and took his spot. Winry started working, making small talk with him for a moment.

"Oh. Dave this is Noah. Noah meet Dave" she said, introducing them after ten minutes.

"Ah! A beautiful name to go with a beautiful face. It's nice to finally know your name" Dave said, making Noah blush.

"You've never seen me before"

"I saw you when I got here and had clear sight of you until Alphonse sent you in here. I must say I'm happy that my view is so much brighter again."

Feeling her cheeks going redder than ever, she quickly turned her attention to Winry. "What are you doing to his leg? Is something wrong with it?

"It's just a routine check-up. Make sure that everything is working the way it should be and that everything is in its correct spot."

Knowing that the blush on her cheeks had died down, she turned her attention back to Dave. "Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"Nah. I was in a train accident down by Rush Valley about two and a half years ago. My leg was mangled and barely hung on by a thread. I was lucky that Ms. Rockbell was working in her shop that day, no one would help me. She gave me a new leg and helped me heal completely, never asking for anything in return. She refused to let me pay for the leg – still does."

"Why did no one else help you? Why does she not make you pay?" the brown haired girl asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Most mechanics you meet are very picky with their clientele. If you don't look like you can afford their work then they ignore you completely. How are they supposed to make money if they give stuff away for free? Anyways, Ms. Rockbell here is one of the only mechanics I know of who doesn't work that way. She knows I will never be able to afford her works, but she still takes care of me. She doesn't care about the money. She cares about her customers and that makes me proud to wear her automail."

"What does it feel like? To have a prosthetic leg I mean" Noah replied.

"It's strange at first. Losing the sense of touch with your foot and toes. Hearing that little clang that follows your every step. It can get a bit annoying if it gets really hot or cold out, but luckily that doesn't happen here. It also feels amazing though. Knowing that you were given a chance to have what you lost is the greatest thing ever. Every time you feel it with your hand or some fleshy part of yourself, you remember what you overcame to get where you are."

"Does it interfere with your daily life?" She asked.

"You seem quite curious about my automail. Maybe I could answer the rest of your questions over dinner tonight? I would love to take you out."

Noah bit on her lip nervously. She had never been on a date before. _But, you'll never know how to until you go on one _she could hear Winry saying. Taking Dave's hand in hers she said the words she never thought she'd have a chance to say.

"I'd love to".

**Hey guys! So I hope you enjoyed the ending to what I am calling the "Reality" series. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review and let me know what you thought. I love to read your reviews and respond to them. I do not respond to all reviews. This was a fun little series to make and I am quite honestly happy that I made it a series. **

**This one is dragged a bit, but I wanted to show how the people around Noah treat her. How Winry wants to be friends with her and help her out; how she was able to become comfortable enough to try moving on. There was a little bit of EdWin, mainly because I still wanted to showcase them a bit.**

**I would like to leave something here for you guys to answer: If you had to pick someone for Noah to end up with, who would you pick?**

**See you all in the next story!**

**S.S.S.**


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